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W: Nigel Linge is editor of Business Travel Weekly. Nigel, thanks for being on the show. Now, what kind of problems do airline passengers face nowadays?
女：奈杰尔·林是《商务旅行周刊》的编辑。奈杰尔，谢谢你来参加节目。现在，航空旅客面临着什么样的问题呢?
M: Well, most of the problems are caused by the heavy volume of traffic.
男：大部分的问题都是由航空流量大造成的。
M: You know, all airports have a limit to the number of take-offs and landings they can handle.
男：你知道，所有机场能处理的起飞和降落的飞机数量都是有限的。
W: So what seems to be the problem?
女：那么问题是什么呢？
M: All flights from a busy airport arrive and leave at more or less the same time.
男：繁忙机场的航班降落和起飞几乎是同时的。
M: If 60 aircraft are scheduled to take off between 5 p.m. and 5:15,
男：如果60架飞机要在下午5点到5点15之间起飞，
M: and the airport can only handle 120 an hour, that means some will always be late landing or taking-off.
男：而机场每小时只能处理120架飞机，这意味着总会有些飞机会晚点降落或起飞。
M: And if the weather is bad, oh, you can imagine what the situation is like.
男：如果天气不好，你可以想象一下情况是怎样的。
M: So passengers have to be loaded into each plane, and then the planes have to line up to take off.
男：乘客必须登上飞机，然后飞机要排队起飞。
W: So waiting at the lounge or on the plane is quite common.
女：所以在休息室或飞机上等候很常见。
M: Certainly. And another problem that's very common is over-booking.
男：当然，另一个很常见的问题是超额售票。
M: Quite often you hear an announcement on the airport loudspeakers:
男：你经常会听到机场扩音器上的广播：
M: "We have over sold on this flight and would like volunteers to go on the next flight out."
男：“本次航班超额售票，希望有乘客自愿乘坐下次航班。”
M: If you decide to volunteer, you may get a cash bribe or free-trip voucher,
男：如果你决定自愿换航班，可能会得到现金补偿或免费旅行券，
M: but make sure you get a guaranteed seat on the next flight and a free phone call to whoever is meeting you on the other end.
男：但要确保你在下次航班上一定有座位，并给在目的地等着接你的人打个免费电话。
M: And worse still, you arrive with confirmed reservation and you discover you've been bumped off the flight.
男：更糟糕的是，你已经确认预定了，到了之后却发现自己被挤出航班了。
W: Presumably, if you choose to travel at off-peak times, there are few problems.
女：我猜，如果选择在非高峰时间旅行，问题会少些。
M: Well, there are no off-peak times, all flights seem to be full except Saturday.
男：非高峰时间是不存在的，除了星期六，所有的航班都是满的。
M: I don't quite understand why this is so. You know, if there is a public holiday, things are likely to be especially busy.
男：我不太明白为什么会这样。你知道，如果有公共假日，可能会特别忙。
M: The special fare systems on the airline's computers encourage more people to fly on less popular flights and this means that as a result all flights are equally full.
男：航空公司电脑上的特别收费系统鼓励更多的人乘坐人不多的航班，这意味着最后所有航班都是一样拥挤。
W: So, what advice would you give to business travelers?
女：那么，你会给商务旅行者什么建议呢?
M: I'd say "Avoid big airports if you can".
男：我想说“如果可以的话，尽量不要去大型机场”。
M: The reason is there are too many flights there. Then, remember not to check your baggage if you can help it.
男：原因是那里的航班太多。然后，如果可以，记得不要托运行李。
M: Another thing is "Be prepared for delays". Take something to eat and drink in your hand luggage.
男：另一件事是“为延误做好准备”。在你的手提行李里准备点吃的和水。
